Collages: Making Space For Your Brain to Play
Hello! Welcome back to the Portal! I just want to thank everyone who read the first blog post. It means a lot because putting yourself out there is scarrryyyy!! But thanks to you, I have decided to unleash another blog post and let strangers on the internet read it.
Today, I want to share with you a hobby I recently re-discovered: making collages! Yeehaw! Collages are so much fun. When making a collage, I don’t really think about what I want or how it is going to look at the end. I just find pictures I like, cut them out and arrange them in a way that feels right to me — like a puzzle, but only I make the pieces and only I know when it's done. I love this type of creative freedom. It feels like I am a tiny child playing with legos. I put on a good album and just vibe.
There is a second-hand art supply store here in Eugene called Mecca, and they get lots of donations of people’s old family photos. I found myself sifting through a pile of photos from one family’s vacation to national parks. The landscapes in the photos were beautiful and I thought I could put them to good use. I paid $5 for about 200 pictures and was on my merry way. I also have a few magazines at home I use for collages too.
What I love about making collages is that it helps get the creativity energy flowing. At times, it can feel like the creative part of my brain is a desert, plagued with drought. Not a single idea rolling around like tumbleweed. However, when I am hit with the creative drought, or artist’s block, collaging helps. I think it is the process of sifting through pictures, words, materials, etc., that get’s the creative rain rolling into my desert brain. This is especially true when I have no plan (and no pressure) to create something good. The intent when I collage is just to create. I do not try to sell my collages. I do not worry about framing them. Heck, even if I don’t put it all together in one sitting, that’s okay. The intention I set for myself is just to let my brian play.
Collage I made in 2021.
One of my most recent collages. Made in March 2023.
Do you have a practice that allows space for your brain to play? As an artist, I feel like it is so important to have space for yourself in this way. Our day to day lives are so busy. We are accustomed to the capitalist way of living that does not value this. It is sacred to hold a space where you are not required to be “productive.”
The other aspect of collaging I enjoy is doing it with friends :) Inviting some friends over to hang and make a collage is so fun. Bonus points if you make bruschetta or some other fun snacky snack.
To wrap it up, collaging is a practice that has helped me on my creative journey in a number of ways. Also, below, I have listed a few collage prompts if you feel inclined to get your creativity flowing! Do one or all of them! Or None! Or share with a friend!
If you happen to do a prompt, I would love to see it. Or if you would like to talk about collaging and share some of your own art, feel free to message me on instagram @greysportal_ or email me at greysportal@gmail.com.
Collage Prompts:
Collect the wrappers of all the candy/chocolate/snacks you eat in a month. Make a collage out of them.
Receipt collages! Go shopping a bunch? Save those receipts, clothing tags, etc., cut up the words and numbers and rearrange them. Use markers, colored pencils, etc. to add some color.
Go to your local thrift store, find the silliest or strangest picture book, make a collage with it. Bonus points if you spend less than $5.
Thanks for reading!
Sending you lots of creative energy and a warm hug.
Lily Grey
